


Horse without Sin

by Red (TheRedLightning)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arkanis Equestrian Centre, Equestrian, F/M, Groom Phasma, Groom Rey, Maid Jess, Maid Tallie, Rider A. Hux, mentions of animal abuse, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-02-26 04:37:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13228218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedLightning/pseuds/Red
Summary: Rey had struggled to get by as a groom, until she gets a lifetime chance to work at the famous Arkanis Equestrian Centre.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, I couldn't resist the temptation to start a new fic.  
> Bear with me, I'm a slow updater and English is not my native tongue, hence why I mostly try to write oneshots (and this is definitely not going to be an oneshot...).
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it.

It was not easy to live being a groom, the wage was critically low for the hard work. Due to these conditions Rey had switched stables a couple of times. She had struggled a lot to keep herself afloat, not entirely willing to take another job as horses was one of her main passions. These majestic creatures that shared so much joy and compassion.

When the opportunity arouse to get employed at a stable with a decent wage, she took it without any regrets. The equestrian centre was huge with modern stables, a huge indoor arena as well as outdoor arenas. A big house, manor like, was surrounded by the stable on one side and the indoor arena on the other, behind it was a small cozy house where the grooms and other workers on the centre lived. Behind it all were large fields reached as far as you could see. With thick wooden fences surrounding the area and pastures.  
Over the road entering the property hang an arch-shaped sign reading, Arkanis Equestrian Centre.

When Rey arrived she was greeted by the owner, Brendol Hux. His face had aged by both time and weather, he wore a crisp white shirt with a quilted beige tie, a beige green vest and a matching jacket and pants. On his head he had a hunting cap in the same beige colour and material as the tie and dark heavy boots, a dapper gent indeed.

She felt slightly overwhelmed by his appearance compared to herself with her light beige breeches, dark brown boots, light beige jumper with a thick dark brown vest and her hair up in a low ponytail.

Brendol showed her the estate, as he told her what she was supposed to do and where she would live while she worked there. Much of the information was the same as it had been in the other stables she had worked in. Grooming the horses, mucking, feeding and so on.

She noticed when they entered the stable, that it was the most beautiful stable she had been able to work in. It was rustic yet modern, high ceiling and airy, with the walls to the boxes being rusty brick walls and the grating between each box followed the rustic theme and there was a total of fifteen boxes.

Instead of a cement floor there was stamped dirt, she could feel it sag a little under her feet. The horses they passed seemed to be afraid of something, as they stood pressed into the corners. This was something Rey wondered why, but she decided not to think about it for now. The further they walked into the stall she noticed that there was a gap between two boxes and in the gap where a wash box.

"I'd suggest you beware of the mare in the lonely box, she's quite aggressive." he told her as they neared said box. Inside it stood a dark bay mare with icy blue eyes and a thin white blaze running through her head down to her muzzle and black mane as well as tail. As soon as they walked right outside the box, the mare lunged at them with pinned ears and angrily swished her tail. Rey was glad there was a wall separating them.

A tall woman with short blonde hair, grey breeches, dark brown shoes and a light grey hoodie with a silver pattern suddenly appeared pushing a wheelbarrow in front of her, while carrying a fork.

"Ah, Phasma could you show Rey around?" Brendol suddenly asked the tall blonde, who smiled warmly with a nod. "I'll leave you in Phasma's care, she'll take care of you." He said to Rey before he swiftly left them, Rey noticed when he walked away, the horses who had curiously came to look at the new human, hurriedly shied away as he got near them.

"I'm sure you've already noticed." Phasma began as soon as Brendol was out of earshot. "The horse's don't like Mr. Hux." Rey nodded and looked at the blonde woman, who was freakishly tall she noted. "Mr. Hux can't handle the horses well, which ends up with them being whipped."

"That's animal abuse!" Rey exclaimed shocked with wide eyes.

"I know, that's why we're here to take care of the horses instead of him, along with his son who is much more well mannered." Phasma explained calmly. "Though the horses don't forget."

"Is the aggressive mare a result of that too?" curiosity picked up as she vaguely pointed at the lonely box.

"Starkiller?" the blonde looked slightly surprised. "Nah, she's always been like that since she was a foal."

"Really? Then how do you handle her?"

"We don't, she's too dangerous. We put up ropes to herd her into her pasture and back. Muck her box when she's out. The hay you open this hatch and throw it in from outside, likewise with the concentrate, it's the same for all horses." Phasma explained calmly. "The only one who can handle Starkiller is Mr. Hux's son." A light breeze passed them. "I'll show you everything once I'm done mucking the last boxes. There is an extra fork around that corner under the stairs to the hay loft." She pointed back at the way she had came earlier.

Rey quickly found the fork under the stairs and walked back to help the blonde muck the boxes, when they were done Phasma showed her the dunghill and emptied the wheelbarrow's content into it. Then they fetched the horses that were still out in the pastures and lead them in, with Phasma telling which horse belonged in which box.

After that they walked around the property more throughout than the fast tour Mr. Hux had given her, and they finished into the servant house, as Phasma called it. A small porch adorned the door, when they entered Rey could hear the floorboard squeak softly under her feet as shoes and jackets were hung up before venturing further into the domain.

To the left of the entrance hall was the small kitchen with the basic needs to make food and a table for six persons. To the right was the common area, with a sofa, some bookshelves and a TV. At the end of the hall was two doors, one lead to a bathroom and the other to the laundry room. Next to the bathroom was the stairs to the second floor.

The stairs squeaked a bit when they walked up them and when they reached the landing on the second floor. A hall followed the railing of the stairs and four rooms where spread along the walls.

"Your room is the one you almost walk into once you get up the stairs." Phasma informed and opened the door to said room for her. "My room is next doors. In the other two rooms the maids who clean the main house live."

"Thank you for everything. You're a kind person."

"Don't mention it, I hope we'll get along." was the blonde's parting words as she headed into her room.

Rey looked at her room, it had a small desk and the bed next to it. A wardrobe was built into the wall. She could feel the room's atmosphere cozy and rustic yet modern with earthy tones, probably built in the same theme as the stable.

She decided to unpack her bags later and quickly made herself ready to go to bed, a long day awaited her tomorrow after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist to name the aggressive mare Starkiller, since in the movie it's very destructive and powerful. Which also is true for the mare.  
> Stay tuned for the next instalment aka chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Days passed quickly as the chores took most of the time and Phasma was real fun to work alongside with. They got to know each other quite well, chatting away during the days. Helping each other herd Starkiller to her pasture and then lunging horses together.

Today Rey lunged a chestnut coloured skewbald pony mare named Bebe. The small pony had a lot of energy and bucked occasionally, which made her smile. She really liked Bebe, the pony had an mischievous attitude but still very calm to handle.

After the lunging she gave Bebe a much needed grooming, the pony had rolled in the arena's sand. Now she stood calmly as Rey brushed and groomed each grain of sand away. She seemed to enjoy the attention Rey gave her. When she was finished she put her back into her box and went to fetch some straw for her to munch on.  
Bebe looked slightly disappointed when she came back with the straw.

"I know you prefer hay, but this is better for you even though you might not understand it." Rey chuckled when Bebe started to poke through the straw.

"Rey, are you in for tacos later and then watch a movie?" Phasma called at her.

"Sure, that could be fun." Rey answered while stretching. "What is left for today?"

"I know there's hay to be packed in the bags, hmm.." the blonde appeared to be thinking before shrugging. "I don't think there's much left after that."

They entered the hay loft and packed the remaining bags of hay and hung them on their special hooks, one to each horse, and one hook per meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening. It was really helpful to make tomorrow's feeding easier, with everything already done the day before.

Once they were done, they headed back towards the servant house, chatting away. Quickly washing up before they headed towards the small kitchen to prepare the food. Tallie and Jess where also there, they were the two maids who worked in the main house. All of them helped prepare the food and set the table in front of the TV.

As they sat in front of the TV and watched Shawshank Redemption while eating tacos, with some candles illuminating the room besides the flicker from the TV. Outside the house the wind howled soft as the sun slowly set in the horizon and Rey and Phasma had fallen asleep leaning against each other on the couch. Jess and Tallie hadn't the heart to disturb them and blew out the candles before softly padding their way to bed.

Rey woke when sunlight pierced her eyes and she felt disoriented, rubbing her eyes to get a better visual about what was going on. She saw blonde hair beneath her and like a bolt of lightning, she realized what was going on. She was still in the couch, apparently she had been very tired from the long day and fallen asleep on said couch along with Phasma.

"Hey, it's time to get up." Rey said softly as she lightly shook the blonde to wake her. Phasma stirred and woke up slowly and her eyes got wide when she spotted Rey.

"Don't tell me we fell asleep on the couch." Rey nodded at which the blonde groaned as she tried to get up from the coach. "No wonder I feel so stiff." She yawned as she stood up and stretched.

"At least we didn't overslept." 

"Yea, always something. Time to eat breakfast before giving the horses theirs."

They ate their breakfast calmly before brushing their teeth and dressed in the stable clothes and then headed out. First they fetched the hay bags and put the hay into respective pasture before letting the horses out.

In usual fashion Starkiller made a bit of a ruckus when they herded her out to her pasture. Ears pinned as she rushed past them, threaten to kick if they got too close. Once all horses were out they began their daily routine of mucking, preparing the morning hay bags and cleaning the stable. 

It was in the afternoon while Rey emptied a full wheelbarrow onto the dunghill when she heard a loud wolf-whistle. She looked in the direction of where the sound came from, she couldn't see anyone but she saw Starkiller rise her head and give a loud neigh before she took of galloping towards the gate with ears pinned forward.

Rey thought she looked really stunning like that, as she stepped up to watch better. She could see a young male with short red hair at the gate, who was clad in dark blue breeches, a white shirt, a grey jumper with the zipper half undone and dark brown riding boots.

She couldn't see much from a distance, but she saw how he attached the headrope to her halter and lead her towards the stable with the headrope dangling between them. Starkiller was walking slowly behind him, not even a ear pinned back nor any signs aggression. In the back of her head she heard Phasma's distant voice: _The only one who can handle Starkiller is Mr. Hux's son._ She'd yet to learn his name.

Hazel eyes followed each step they took until they disappeared into the stable. She put the wheelbarrow back against the stable wall and then went to give the horses who were still out their dinner hay, when she was done with feeding, Rey stepped around the corner she saw Starkiller exit it with bridle and saddle on. She got a closer look at Mr. Hux's son, he had short sideburns stopping slightly above where his ears met his cheekbone. She couldn't see much more due to the hard hat secured on his head and their hasty retreat towards the outdoors arena.

"Stop daydreaming." Phasma suddenly showed up and made Rey jump.

"I wasn't really daydreaming, it's just unusual to see Starkiller like that." she admitted once they both walked into the stable to do the last chores before the next feeding.

"I'll show you something later, first we'll pack the last of the hay and prepare the concentrate and then I'll show you." Phasma had Rey's undivided attention and curiosity at that point.

As promised once they were done the tall blonde woman told Rey to follow her. They walked towards the servants house's backside and from there the outdoors arena was visible. 

"This is what I wanted to show you, just look at." Phasma pointed towards the outdoors arena where Starkiller was showing off.

Rey's eyes bulged and her mouth hung slightly open, she felt like she watched something unreal. The mare seemed to dance around the arena with ears straight forward and tail up, while on the bit and engaging her hind legs as they performed a beautiful and powerful extended trot. It looked like the rider was glued into the saddle, smoothly following each movement the mare did. Rey couldn't tell when he used his aids, she suspected he used his seat aids and seat bone.

Goosebumps raised on Rey's arms when she witnessed a canter strike off into collected canter and then flying changes upon that. That mare had the capacity for something big and the rider who could access these moves. She knew that riding wasn't as easy as it looked like.

"That horse surely have some moves." Rey exclaimed as they walked back towards the stable to groom some of the horses.

"Yes, it's quite sad that no one else can handle her. Mr. Hux have tried to take her to some competition, but she's dangerous to leave alone. If someone else other than Mr. Hux's son gets close, she'll attack." Phasma explained as they entered the stable and was about to begin grooming two horses. "I know he have tried to hire different people to be grooms here, but everyone have fled when they met with the aggressive mare known as Starkiller." Suddenly Phasma's blue eyes trained themselves into Rey's hazel ones. "Well, until you came along. You're the first that stays even after encountering the aggressive side of Starkiller."

Pink spread over Rey's freckled cheeks. "It's not like I have to handle her directly, when I know how to handle it, it's easy." They continued chatting until they heard the sound of hooves upon the dirt inside the stable. Starkiller was back into the stable and snorted peacefully, while she was lead further into the stable to remove the saddle and bridle. Rey noted how relaxed the whole mare looked, she idly wondered how Mr. Hux's son had managed to gain the mare's trust. 

Rey soon forgot the world around her as she was absorbed into the grooming and smell of the horse next to her, to feel it breathe underneath the brush along with the slow noise of chewing hay. This was one of the reasons why she liked horses and to take care of them. Not once had she regretted choosing to work with horses and every day she learnt something new about them, about the way the communicated from individual to individual and what one horse liked while the other didn't.  
It was a constant learning process and the horses were her teacher, an honest teacher.

She went to the tack room to put back the brushes where they belonged, it was always a good idea to put them back so it would be easier to find them next time someone was in need of them. The chest creaked when she opened it to put the brushes inside. They had a huge chest which was organized in an orderly fashion, very easy to find what you might need.

While Rey headed back to find Phasma and ask her if there was something more on the agenda for today, she saw Mr. Hux's son exit Starkiller's box. He was rather tall, slender yet slightly muscular, she noted and with the hard hat off his head his red hair was to some extent dishevelled from what she guessed was its' usual neat style. When greens eyes met her hazel ones, she realized she had been staring and quickly tried to cover it up.

"Um, hi I'm Rey." She put her hand in front of her to shake his hand. He simply looked at her, from head to toe, not even making an attempt to take her hand and Rey felt like she was being examined, as she awkwardly lowered her hand again, trying to look at anything but his eyes.

"Armitage Hux, but I prefer it if you call me Hux." His voice was soft yet commanding and captured her attention fully with each word. She was about to ask him why he'd wanted to be called by his surname, but kept her mouth shut. It was not her place to ask why, for all she knew he could have asked her to call him General and she would have to respect it regardless of how absurd it sounded in her ears. Before she could dwell on her thoughts his voice cut through everything. "How long have you been working here?"

"Oh, I believe it's a week now." she counted the days in her head and she felt his calculating eyes on her. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine. "Was you not informed when I began?"

"No, I wasn't since I was on a vacation and recently returned, but that doesn't matter." He regarded her thoughtfully with his hands crossed behind his back. "Do you like challenges?"

Rey looked at him quizzically, like he'd suddenly grew a second head. She had no idea in which direction this would go. With great care she responded. "Yes, but it also depends what it's about."

"I'm in dire need of a groom, I want you to gain Star's trust." At first Rey was confused as to who Star was before realization hit her, he'd meant Starkiller seeing as none of the horses had names or nicknames near the word star.

"Gain her trust? How?" Her brain shouted at her that it was dangerous and a suicide mission, she ignored the warnings for now.

"You show her that you mean no harm." It sounded so easy when he put it like that, though Rey knew that it was everything but easy. "Will you do it?" Something inside Rey told her that if she didn't at least give it a try then she'd probably be back to those bad paid stables again.

"I can try, but I can't promise that it'll succeed nor how much time it'll take." Nervousness at what she'd just agreed to do settled in her belly. Hux said nothing, a small ghost of a smile playing on his lips and he turned around to leave.

"Good, you will be compensated for your effort." With that he walked away, leaving Rey to stand there shocked at what had transpired and what she had agreed on doing. She carefully looked at Starkiller's box, the mare pinned her ears back and showed her teeth at her. 

"Oh kriff, this is going to be tough.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back earlier than expected, though I suspect next chapter will take longer. I start to work again tomorrow and work takes a lot of my time, so we'll see.  
> Anyway quit with my ramblings, I do hope you're enjoying this fic. It's an idea I had and I hope I can make it turn out as the idea I had in my head.
> 
> May the Force be with you, always. :D


	3. Chapter 3

It was tough as she had predicted. Once she was done with the day's chores, she stood outside Starkiller's box gate, with the grating closed and tried to coax the mare to get closer with a carrot. The mare was not interested and pinned her ears and lunged at Rey with teeth bare and angrily swishing her tail.

It gradually became less as the days went on, she would still not even move from her corner. Rey had searched for help on her smartphone and read everything regarding the topic at hand she could get over. She had even asked Phasma, with the blond shrugging her shoulders and telling Rey she was would love to help with advise if she had any. Nothing really worked, the mare was stubborn and it was like she had accepted Rey's presence as on to ignore. 

Patience is a virtue they said, but she didn't know how much longer she would be able to continue without any visible progress. She supposed she could use heavy armor and go into the box, sitting in a corner, though she suspected the mare might kill her anyway, or hurt her very badly. Lost in thoughts, she stood there at the box gate contemplating what to do next.

"How is it going?" Suddenly a voice came behind her and she jumped slightly frightened before turning and meeting Hux's green eyes. She hadn't even heard him get close.

"Oh, it's not going well..." she admitted, shoulders slumping and looking away from his eyes.

"That's not good, then we'd need to speed it along." before Rey could utter any form of protest she felt his hand around her shoulder, as his other hand opened the box gate. When it swung open he half pushed half lead her into it.

Hazel eyes were wide and frightening, especially when there was no wall separating her from the mare and she could see the pinned ears before the mare lunged at Rey with teeth bared. She reflexively took a step backwards in panic, right into Hux's sturdy chest.

Before she could fully react, both of his hands came to rest on her shoulder as he made some kind of noise with his mouth making the mare stop dead in her tracks. A warmth spread through Rey's body, she hadn't even thought it was possible. The lonely groom Rey back to chest with a handsome male and a killer mare in front of her. She wasn't sure if she should be delightful or terrified. With no time to dwell on her feelings, she felt him grab one of her hands and guiding it in front of her so Starkiller could stretch her neck and carefully nuzzle the combined hands.

Her heart felt like a jackhammer and without realizing it, she held her breath when the mare's muzzle touched her hand and she felt the horse breathe against her hand, as she vaguely heard Hux coaxing the mare to come closer. Which the mare did, still with a guarded visage. Hux's other hand left her shoulder and scratched the mare's forehead and the horse visible relaxed.

"Good girl." he cooed gently still scratching and then guided Rey's hand to the mare's forehead. "She likes to be scratched on the forehead. Give it a try." Rey's fingers moved sluggishly and nervously as she hesitantly started to scratch the forehead. "With more confidence, she can feel your hesitance, just breathe and relax. She won't hurt you." She heard his reassuring tone behind her.

Rey felt the mare's soft fur beneath and around her finger as she slowly got more confidence, seeing as Starkiller relaxed more and more into her hand. "Now you'll give her the carrot with your palm open and say good girl to her." Hux instructed her and Rey held out her other hand with the carrot resting in her palm to the mare, who took it gingerly.

"Good girl." she said softly patting the mare's forehead gently and released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Good, continue to do this, Star's going to associate you with something good." Hux said as he stepped out of the box to leave room for Rey to exit as well. She immediately missed the warmth that had been on her back but tried to not think about it, as she stepped out of the box. "That's all I can help you with today, since Star needs a bit of time to trust people." He said before he said a quick goodbye and left the stable, leaving Rey outside Starkiller's box and looking after him slightly overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.

The mare on the other side of the grating watched her curiously, before Rey walked away to find Phasma and help her out with whatever she was doing. She briefly wondered if she should tell her about what had transpired in Starkiller's box today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I'll be able to pull this off. It's hard to write on my workdays, not much time left of the day when I end my shift and have to go to bed.  
> Anyway I do hope you enjoy it and leave a comment on your thoughts, it helps encourage me to write.
> 
> All your kudos and comments mean a lot to me, thank you for taking your time to read. Love you all~ <3


	4. Chapter 4

In the end she couldn't keep it a secret and when she was alone with Phasma watching TV in the living room of their small servant house. She brought it up.

"There is something I need to tell you." she started fidgeting slightly in the couch, catching the blonde's attention and she eyed Rey curiously. "Today I petted Starkiller and gave her a carrot from my palm."

Icy blue eyes widened shocked. "You did what?!"

"She wasn't even aggressive, ears were pinned forward. Hux helped me." the memory of Hux right behind her made her cheeks start to heat up. That didn't go unnoticed by Phasma.

"Are you blushing, Rey?" Phasma watched as Rey got redder after her question, why she didn't know, only one way to find out, ask. "Why are you blushing?"

"Oh, I don't know how to put it.." she fidgeted nervously with her hands, looking away not daring to meet the blonde's icy blue eyes at the moment.

"You could start from the beginning, perhaps?"

Rey steeled herself and looked straight at Phasma, still slightly nervous about how the blonde would react. She told herself that fortune favors the bold, so she plunged straight in.

"Ok, Hux challenged me to gain Starkiller's trust, said he was in dire need of a groom to her." The words tumbled out of her mouth in quick succession. That was a good start and she could see a blonde eyebrow rise slightly.

"Yes, he does that with everybody, even myself, though no one has ever gotten that close as to pet and feed her from your own hand. Not even if Hux has been there with them. It was the same with me, the mare tried to attack me and Hux had to step in to stop her. I never go near that mare again after that. I value my life too much." Phasma explained softly.

"Really?" Disbelief fleeted over hazel eyes.

"If what you say is true, then you're the first person to get that close to the mare."

"Wow..."The feeling to know she was the first person to get the chance to pet and feed Starkiller was overwhelming. "I didn't know that."

"No one can know without being told after all. I suspect that you blushing has nothing to do with the mare, am I correct?"

Now Rey's blush returned full force, she didn't know how to explain it, maybe Phasma could help her. It was worth a shot, so she went with that.

"No, not really. It was the intimacy of having Hux behind me, guiding my hands..." She paused, not really knowing how to describe her feeling. "I felt something, I can't really pinpoint what exactly."

Phasma stroked her chin with the thumb and index finger thoughtfully. "You felt something, hm? Can you try describe the feeling?

"Oh, I don't know, like a warmth spreading through my body when I felt his chest against my back."

"A warmth spreading through your body you say?" Rey nodded as Phasma seemed to think about something, before she pointed her index finger at Rey. "I get it, you have a crush on Hux."

Hazel eyes widened and her cheeks turned a great shade of red. "What makes you think that?"

"I can't deny that he's rather attractive and I remember my first crush. I got this warm tingling feeling though my body, it felt pleasant and my stomach would flutter each time I saw my crush." Then she appeared to be thinking before continuing. "Though, maybe you doesn't have a fully developed crush yet for him, but you sure find him interesting, am I right?" A teasing glint could be seen in those icy blue eyes.

"Maybe.." Rey bit her thumb as she felt like the room had gotten much warmer since they started this discussion. Felt the warmth swirl around her body, flaming around her cheeks.

"Do you want to catch his attention?" Phasma steeple her fingers together and rose one eyebrow with a slight close-lipped smile ghosting over her lips.

"Maybe.." There the same answer as before, though Phasma wasn't fooled by it. She knew that Rey was not yet ready to accept her feelings, all she needed was a little push.

"I believe you already have, he hasn't touched any other groom like he did when he helped you." Phasma mused. "I'd say that if you continue to gain that mare's trust, you'll probably gain something else as well." She winked at Rey, with hazel eyes looking accusingly at her.

"Oh, stop it. I'm not yet ready for this, any of this." Rey sighed heavily, as she leaned back against the armrest.

"You're probably more ready than you give yourself credit for. Just give yourself time to accept and you'll find your answers."

"No, stop it." Rey laughed embarrassed and in denial. She couldn't see how on earth anything would change with her gaining Starkiller's trust.

Phasma leaned in cupping Rey's chin in her hands and just above a whisper she said. "Search your feelings you know it to be true." With a teasing glint in her eyes and stuck out her tongue at Rey cheekily.

"I have a bad feeling about this." She muttered, chewing on her bottom lip before playfully pushing the blonde off of the couch. "You kriffin' teaser." There was no malice behind her word only playfulness and Phasma wasn't late to respond in kind.

They ended up tumbling to the floor as they wrestled, trying to get the other to yield. Laughter echoed between the walls and filled up the whole house, spreading a nice atmosphere in their wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
> 
> As always:  
> All your kudos and comments mean a lot to me, thank you for taking your time to read. Love you all~ <3


	5. Chapter 5

Days passed by with Rey progressing to slowly but steadily earning Starkiller's trust, she continued to call the mare to come forward to the box's door, so she could pet her and give her the carrot. The more days that passed, the more Starkiller got used to her and was already at the box door before Rey could call on her, with her ears pinned forward waiting for her.

Rey felt pride and joy, that she'd come this far with gaining the mare's trust, she knew she still had long way to go. It was all part of the long road ahead and she was slowly crossing that road, slow but steadily.

Today when she was done with her daily chores and heading for her daily trust session with Starkiller, she was met with Hux standing outside the box appearing to be waiting for her. Rey's heart started to beat faster, wondering what he'd want. Probably an update on how it was going.

"Good, I wanted to try something new today." he said as soon as he saw Rey and she stopped rising one confused brow at him. "We're going to the indoor arena." His voice held a resolute finality to it, leaving no rooms for arguments, and proceeded to open the box to fetch the mare fastening the leadrope to the halter.

Rey followed by walking next to Hux, as he had Starkiller to his right. This was the first time she had to do something with the mare outside the box, if she said she wasn't nervous, she'd be lying to herself. They didn't speak until they had entered and closed the gate to the indoor arena. Hux was warming up the mare by lunging.

"Today we'll see if your training has paid off. I will release Star and make her go away, then you'll need to make her come to you and refasten the leadrope to her halter." He explained as the mare was walking around them in a circle.

Rey nodded as she briefly wondered if it would work, as Hux lunged the mare around them in all her gaits and she noticed that he didn't need a whip. He controlled the mare through his voice, telling her when to walk, trot, canter and even gallop as well as changing gaits. She was slightly awestruck when the mare halted abruptly from canter by Hux's voiced "Halt." 

Then he walked towards Starkiller and unfastened the leadrope and walking back towards Rey.

"Now it's your turn." He said as he gave her the leadrope, and she felt the pressure and nervousness spiking. It was now time to see if her training had paid off. She softly called the mare to her, and the mare had first looked at her and then turned to walk relaxed towards Rey.

Once Starkiller stopped before Rey, she patted the mare's neck and gave her a carrot while saying "Good Girl." And after that fastening the leadrope to her halter.

Hux made her walk away with the mare in tow a few step, before releasing the mare, telling her to stay and then walking back towards Hux before starting all over again.

They continued like that for a while and Hux even walked away from Rey, leaving a big gap between them. This was a test to see how much the mare trusted Rey, when he was not standing next to her.  
Starkiller still walked towards Rey when she called on her, and when she had praised the mare and fastened the leadrope again, she flashed a big grin towards Hux who smiled in return. Rey felt elated and excited, now she needed to keep training to gain Starkiller's full trust.

Hux had told her she was doing a great job as they walked back towards the stable, with Rey leading Starkiller to her right and Hux walking to her left. On the way towards the box, Rey saw Phasma eye them from inside another box with surprise written over her face. Rey couldn't help the giddy feeling washing over her, as she lead Starkiller into her box and released her before stepping out.

He told her to continue training what they had just done and suggested she could try it, when Starkiller was in her pasture. Then they parted ways and as soon as he was gone Rey quickly hurried over to Phasma and told her about what had happened in the indoor arena. 

Phasma told her that she was doing a great job and encouraged her to continue. That was exactly what Rey did, between her chores she went to Starkiller's pasture and called the mare to her. Starkiller came walking towards her each time she called. The first days she had only petted the mare and given her a carrot, as the days passed she fastened a leadrope to the halter with the mare standing still and unfastened after praising the mare for a few days it were like that, before she started to walk with the mare at her side in the leadrope. Just a few steps at the time and by each day passing getting longer and longer, till she took the initiative and lead the mare into the stable.

Phasma designed Rey to lead Starkiller to her pasture one evening when she spotted Rey leading the mare calmly into the stable. It had taken a long time to reach where Rey were now with Starkiller's trust and she knew she still had to go further, on the road to fully gain the mare's trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost - I LOVE you all who leave comments and kudos~ <3  
> You're the reason I find the inspiration to continue writing this fic.
> 
> Thank you.


	6. Chapter 6

Sweat slowly trickled down over heated skin, heart beating fast and nervousness settling in. Rey bent over, feeling the cold air against her skin, where her shirt was riding up. Warm hands pressed against her knees, before gently moving a strand of hair from her face to tuck it behind her ear.

Rey had been carrying brushes and hay onto the truck, today would be her first day to be a groom at a competition. Hux had told her that since it had moved along so nicely with Starkiller, he wanted to attend a pay and jump with her. It was not a real competition more like a training competition, where you would be able to jump a showjumping course under competition-like conditions. It was a perfect way to be able to go to a competition without having to compete to be the winner.

She was busy packing the truck with all the things they needed, while Hux himself groomed Starkiller. It was a nice truck, room for five horses and an apartment like section that had a small kitchen, toilet, two bed and a small lounging area. The cabin was ample with a bed behind the seats.

It was a white Volvo FH of the latest model with chromed grilles and details. Rey had noted that the cabin seemed to be in the sky, she felt so small when she stood next to it. It was quite impressive and above the cabin in between the high beam lights was the text Arkanis Equestrian Centre, the same text was also on the sides of the truck.

Hux loaded Starkiller into the truck, up the tailgate ramp and into the cargo space. She went in without fuss and let herself be put into one of the small boxes and secured to the wall with a sturdy leadrope. Before Hux closed the small box he patted the mare on her neck and told her that she was a good girl.

As the tailgate ramp was closing, Rey climbed up into the cabin. Four steps, it felt like climbing a small hill. Once inside seated and secure with the seatbelt, she marvelled how different the view looked compared to a car. When Hux climbed in securing himself with the seatbelt and starting the truck . He put the gear into drive and lightly on the gas pedal. The truck automatically released the electrical parking-brake and they were off.

They didn't talk much once the truck was on the road. It was Rey's first time riding in a truck, the cars they met looked so small from this point of view, and when the cars in front of them didn't block the view ahead. She saw over the rooftops of the cars to see the road ahead. It was a nice change she thought back on times, she had been riding a car and they had got stuck behind a truck. Not able to see the road ahead if they had been too close. It had been better to stay a bit behind, that way even the truckdriver had a chance to see the car in the rear-view mirrors.

She noticed that the truck only had rear-view mirrors on the sides, no one inside the cab. It would probably not have helped anyway, since there was nothing to see on the wall behind them. There were two other mirrors, also on the outside. One above the door on the passenger's side and faced towards the ground, the other in front of the windscreen facing slightly towards the driver's seat and down. Rey had a feeling those mirrors were there to help the driver see through the blind spots, even if not completely it would probably help a great deal she assumed.

The interior of the truck was stylish and modern, with comfy leather seats with white leather lined the sides of the seat and black leather the rest. The steering wheel was clad in the same black leather as the seats, with a lot of buttons on it, some to the radio and some Rey didn't know what they were for. The radio itself looked like a small computer, in the small screen was a video of the cargo area where Starkiller stood.

It was high to the ceiling and enough space for a tall person to stand upright, between the seats. The design spoke about being able to live there for a short while, under the bed was a small refrigerator with an even smaller freezer. 

Due to the air suspension the ride was smooth, barely feeling bumps and holes in the road. Rey felt a bit cheeky, when she set her phone to silent and unlocked the screen, started the camera app. Silently and quickly snapping a photo of an unsuspecting Hux at the steering wheel. She wanted to keep a memory from the first time she ever rode in a truck and going to a competition, even though it was only a training competition.

They arrived one hour after they had left and was directed to a parking spot. Before shutting of the engine Hux pulled the parking brake and put the gear into neutral.

"I'll have to go register myself before we can unload, just wait here until I get back." Hux said when he unbuckled his seatbelt and rummaged through a bag, finding what he looked for and climbed out of the truck.

Rey was left there to her own and as soon as Hux was gone, she picked up her phone again. She sent the photo she had taken to Phasma on iMessage along with a short message.

'So far so good.'

It didn't take long until she got a reply.

'Hold your horses or maybe you want them to escape. ;)'

She could hear Phasma's teasing tone even through the phone, and they chatted for a while until Hux got back. Unloading Starkiller with Rey holding the mare as Hux groomed the last and put on the tack.

"I have to walk the course, and while I do that I want you to walk with Star, to warm her up." He told her once he was done. Rey only nodded in response taking the reins in her hand and began walking with the mare, as he walked towards the outdoor arena where the showjumping course would take place. She didn't plan where to go, she just walked where it felt best to walk.

When she had walked for a bit, she heard some girls talking when she passed them.

"Isn't that the horse abuser's son, poor horses. They must live in hell, probably abusing the grooms too." The disdain in their voices was something Rey couldn't miss, and she felt slightly irritated about their prejudices. They knew nothing of the truth, probably based it on the little knowledge they had. "It's a pity they destroy nice horses."

Rey decided it was best to ignore them, it was not her place to correct them and she had a feeling that if she did, it would only get worse. She briefly wondered if Hux had encountered these kind of persons before and how he handled it, to her he didn't seem like a weak person. More like a strong person who knew where they stood.

She kept walking and kept her distances to other people and horses. They had put a red ribbon in Starkiller's tail, to warn other not to get close because the mare could kick.

When Hux got back he fastened the girth and mounted, while Rey held the mare. Today he wore white breeches with black riding boots, a white pressed shirt, a black blazer and a black hard hat. He went to the outdoor arena where everybody warmed up their horses. There were a few horses in the arena but plenty of space.

Rey stood leaning against the fence overlooking the warm up. Hux sure made it look easy as he let the mare trot with long reins, letting her warm up relaxed before collecting the reins. The warm up consisted of two outdoor arenas, one without any jumps and the other with three jumps in the middle, one low cross fence, a parallel oxer and a vertical fence.

He would start in two classes, the first being 1 metre and the second 1.20 metre, and to Rey those fences were high and she admired people who dared to jump those. The warm up had gone smoothly without a hitch and now she was walking next to them towards the course, to wait for his turn.

Once it was his turn, Rey leaned against the fence again to watch him. Hux let Starkiller walk into the arena with long reins and made her halt and look around. Starkiller had her ears pinned forward anticipated what was about to come.

It was now their time to shine as Hux collected the reins and awaited the start signal. When it came they were off, taking the course with ease. Each stride was planned and it looked like a school example of how it was done. A smile crept upon Rey's lips as she watched them.

"That's awful, look how tense the horse looks, probably afraid to be beaten." Voices carried over to where Rey where standing, the same girls as before. She tried to ignore them and look back at Starkiller and Hux, she couldn't see the mare being tense at all. Starkiller looked to be in her element and enjoying it fully. "He's such a bad rider, he should just be disqualified." At this point Rey had to bite her tongue hard, to prevent herself from saying something. She had a feeling that they were jealous, as she saw nothing that resembled a bad rider jumping the set course of fences.

They continued to badmouth Hux riding, saying they themselves were better riders and whatnot. Rey could feel herself slowly losing control, getting closer to the point where she would snap if they continued. She grit her teeth frustrated.

Luckily for her, Hux and Starkiller just finished with a clear round walking towards her. She quickly followed them back towards the first warm up arena.

"There were some girls badmouthing you, saying you was a bad rider." She began slowly, not entirely sure why she was telling him that. "I didn't agree with them."

Hux seemed unaffected by what she had just told him, and Rey thought that she perhaps shouldn't have told him, maybe she made a mistake by telling him. Her thoughts ran wild as she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"It doesn't matter what they say, it says more about them then about me." He said calmly as he entered the warm up arena again, letting Starkiller walk a long time before they had to go into the other warm up arena to jump the heighten fences a few times, to get ready for the next class.

When they walked into the arena with the course, Rey took up her phone and opened the phone app, changed it to video and turned the phone to film horizontal. She tracked each movement as the start signal sounded and they took off. If the first round had been an school example, this round was something else. It was like a jump-off where the speed was there and cut each turn to earn time.

Rey figured out that he probably saw the first round as in a real competition, where if you had a clear round and others also were had clear rounds, it would turn into a jump-off. So that was what he was doing now, it still looked like a school example even though they flew over the fences rapidly.

The last fence was a wide oxer which Starkiller flew over with ease and landed safely on the other side, with Hux patting her neck and the mare snorted contented. He lengthen the reins and let the mare trot on long reins towards the exit. 

Stopping the recording and putting her phone back into her pocket, Rey went to meet them again. This round had blessedly been quiet of those annoying girls, which she was glad since she didn't want their annoying voices on the video.

Hux told her to wait by the truck, he was going to let Starkiller cool down by letting her walk with loose reins. Rey headed back towards the truck and was almost there when someone stepped in front of her. Startled she looked at the person, it was a girl, the very same that had badmouthed Hux before.

"You." She said and pointed a finger at Rey.

"What?" Rey was confused, what could they possible want with her. She was a nobody.

"We've seen how you fawn after that horse abuser, you should be ashamed of yourself, but then again maybe you're into that kind of stuff, being abused." The girl in front of her snorted disgusted at her, as the other girls nodded in agreement. This was too much, Rey couldn't take it anymore.

"Listen here, I don't know what your agenda is but I would appreciate it if you could keep your nonsense to yourself." She tried to keep her calm and be mature as not sink down to their level.

"Hah! Can't you hear yourself defending him. I bet you like whoring yourself for him and worshipping his cock, like a slut." The other girls laughed like it had been the best joke ever.

"You know, I really should call the cops. What you're doing right now counts as sexual harassment and is punishable by law." On the inside Rey was seething, but she kept it all under control and projected a calm exterior even though her face had heated up, the moment they mentioned Hux fucking her.

"Are you trying to threaten us, oh and you're blushing. That means it's true, what a fucking whore." The girl took a step back as if she saw something repulsive and disgusting, with the other girls snickering along.

"I don't have to listen to your pathetic lies." Rey said as she reached for her phone in her pocket. "I'll let the police handle that."

"Oh, the little slut is trying to act brave, what a..." Suddenly the girl became very quiet and Rey was confused as she saw real terror in the girl's eyes, before all of them swiftly turned around and hurried away. Rey wasn't sure what had happened until she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped at the contact at turned around swiftly, feeling the hand leave her shoulder by the motion.

The sight that met her, made her understand what was the cause to the girls scattering away like frightened mice about to be eaten by the cat. Starkiller had her ears pinned backwards with teeth visible and Hux was holding the reins, wearing a serious expression.

"I take it that was not a friendly conversation." He stated like a man with authority, and Rey nodded slowly as she turned around again to walk towards the truck again.

She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him what the girls had said, or if he had heard anything from the hateful conversation. His statement didn't sound like he had heard anything or had he?

"It's been a long day, let's go home." He said as he gave Rey the reins and started to untack the horse and carrying everything into the small tack room in the truck. While he did that Rey scratched Starkiller's forehead, at least the horse didn't judge her prematurely. 

Once Starkiller had her halter on again, Rey loaded the mare since Hux told her she should give it a try. The mare behaved as usual, relaxed as she walked onboard to be put into the box and secured to the wall and the tail gate ramp being closed.

When she climbed up into the cabin and buckled up in her seat, feeling relieved to be on their way back when Hux started the truck and they were on their way home.

"You did great today." Hux said as soon as they were on the road. Rey mutter a quick thanks as she felt slightly flustered by his praise. She turned her head towards the side window and looked as the landscape passed them rapidly.

"It was my first time, after all." She continued humbly.

"Your first time? I couldn't tell." Disbelief painted his face as he continued to look on the road ahead of them.

"Yes, wasn't it Starkiller's first time too? I heard from Phasma." Still looking out the window, to avoid looking at him, for some reason she didn't want to meet his gaze.

"That's true, haven't been able to take her to any competitions alone. Couldn't risk her harming anyone." He paused as if the next sentence was of importance. "Thank you, Rey. I couldn't have done this without you."

Her name upon his lips felt like honey to her ears and she felt a blush quickly spreading across her face. There was no way she would face him now, blushing like a tomato.

"Don't mention it, but you're welcome." She mumbled into the window.

"I mean it, no one has ever gotten so far with gaining Star's trust as you've done. It is truly a feat and I expect you to continue training with her, until you have her trusting you completely."

"Yes, I will." She didn't trust her voice to say anything longer and the ride continued in silence, only the radio playing in the background and the sounds of the engine. Rey felt like she had gained a lot more today than just Starkiller's trust, something she couldn't put her finger upon, but something worthwhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone is curious about the truck it was based upon this one: [[link]](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s480x480/e35/14712101_210121362745717_9070038929838702592_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=MTM3MTA2NTg0NzMyNjQxNTAyNw%3D%3D.2)
> 
> I've drove one of those, really nice to drive. I also work as a truck driver, though I drive a Volvo FM. The FH means FrontHigh and FM FrontMedium.
> 
> As for the chapter itself, it was fun writing especially the part about the truck, since I love my work. Maybe it was bleeding into the fic.  
> I also photoshopped a photo to resemble Hux and Starkiller.
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed it, kudos and comments are very much appreciated. <3


	7. Chapter 7

"Does he know?" Phasma looked at Rey concerned.

"To be honest, I don't know. He didn't give any indication that he had." Rey had told Phasma about what had happened with the nasty girls, everything.

"Though I admit I'm amazed you managed to stay calm. If it had been me I would have punched the living hell out of them." She held out her fist in front of her to emphasize her point.

"I didn't want to cause a scene, but I was close to losing it. I was glad Hux turned up at that moment."

"I can understand that... " Phasma began then paused before a lopsided grin was placed upon her lips and switched to a teasing tone. "... or maybe you was trying to impress Hux."

Rey who had been taking a sip of water at the precise moment, sprayed it all out at those words and looked wide eyed at the blond next to her. Phasma chuckled at the display.

"By that reaction I take it, it's true." She teased. "Oh, come on I'm just teasing you, no need to look so serious." A warm laugh filled the air between them. "Let's get this day started."

Rey was glad Phasma wasn't one to keep pushing and mostly only teased a bit before getting back to being serious. They continued to muck out the boxes in the stable while teasing bickering were thrown between them.

The day was like any other day, perfect weather and adequate work to be done. It didn't take long for them to finish the day's work and Rey was raking the dirt floor in the stable, when Hux walked in. Unconsciously her heart rate sped up, as he closed in on her.

"Ah, good." She heard him say once he spotted her. "I was looking for you."

"Looking for me?" She couldn't help the surprise slipping into her voice and onto her features, as her eyes looked up and watching him get closer.

"Yes, I had an idea that I would like to try." Rey's ear was at full attention and her brain rushed naughty thoughts across her mind, making her feel warmer and cheeks heating up. "Since your training with Star has progressed greatly, I thought about the next step. Introduce her with Bebe."

Rey felt slightly ashamed that her first thoughts had been something of a more naughty nature, as his word sunk in.

"Why Bebe?"

"I've always wanted to introduce them, but couldn't do it myself. I believe Star also needs horse company." 

It was quite endearing each time Rey hear him say Star instead of Starkiller, she couldn't pinpoint why that was, but she didn't mind since it sounded less aggressive in a way and more endearing.

"So how do you plan to introduce them?" Rey leaned against the rake.

"Normally you'd put them in two adjoining boxes, but I'm afraid Star might destroy the wall between. That's why her box doesn't have adjoining neighboring boxes." He looked briefly towards Starkiller's box, where said mare stood watching them through the grating. "The idea is for you to lead Star and I'll take Bebe, that way she might understand that Bebe is no threat to her."

"She won't get jealous of you holding another horse?" Rey couldn't resist teasing a bit, as she felt a rush of excitement from it.

"To be honest, I don't think so, but alas I'm not certain of it." The way he answered seemed like the teasing tone had went straight over his head. "Only way to find out is to begin."

With that said they went to get the horses and Hux and Bebe exited the stable first. The pony looked so small in comparison to Starkiller and when Rey walked behing them, she couldn't resist sneaking glances at Hux's backside.

She wouldn't admit to herself that she was indeed checking him out, how his firm ass moved under those tight fitting breeches when he kept walking with those strong legs. When her gaze travelled upwards, she saw the movement of his back muscles underneath that fitted shirt, and even further up his hair fluttered slightly by the feeble wind playing with it.

He had a firm grip on the leadrope, as hazel eyes travelled along those strong arms until they rested onto Bebe. The pony looked very excited and not even concerned that the stable's most aggressive horse was walking behind her. It made Rey chuckle, she found Bebe to be an adorable pony.

They went towards the outdoor arena with Hux instructing Rey to get into the arena along with Starkiller, while he and Bebe stayed on the other side of the fence. The idea was to let Bebe and Starkiller to smell each other's muzzle with the fence separating them. What Rey needed to do was to give Starkiller praise when she did something right, very similar to what she had done before with the mare.

Starkiller was very perceptive and responsive, as she let herself follow Rey towards the fence while her ears were pinned forward curiously. On the other side of the fence Bebe rose her head and curiously watched as the other mare approached slowly, when they stopped a short distance from the fence the smaller mare tried to stretch her neck as far as it would go and try reach the other to smell the other.

Rey stepped forward and made Starkiller take a step forward as well, so she stood next to the mare's shoulder. A safe spot if the mare wanted to kick with her front legs or even back legs, as well as not being run over if she decided to bolt for some reason.

Bebe's muzzle was sticking out through the fence and Starkiller gingerly stretched her neck towards the smaller mare and when their muzzles touched and they blew air into each other's nostrils while the other smelled the air. Starkiller squealed withdrawing her head a little and a front leg kicked forward, before going back to smell Bebe's muzzle again.

Bebe stood there waiting curiously and each time Starkiller made that squeal she also withdrew her head, but was quicker than Starkiller to go back to smell again. It was a waiting game and both Rey and Hux stood there passive, but ready to get to action if things would go out of hand. Rey busied herself with looking how the horses interacted, she didn't want to get caught staring in a certain direction, which was very tempting.

It was like a magnet for her eyes and she tried to withstand the temptation. The squeals from Starkiller became less and less as the horses smelled each other. Rey silently petted Starkiller's neck soothingly, feeling the relaxed muscles beneath the fur under her fingertips.

They ended the introducing there on a good note, to let both horses end it with a positive impression. It became a daily routine to let the horses meet, with the first days Starkiller had squealed a bit and the further the days passed, the more quiet she became. 

While they did this routine to introduce the horses, Rey would avoid looking at Hux and instead paid attention to how the horses interacted. It helped her calm down and not doing something she would later regret. After a week the first introduction of the mares, Hux brought it up.

"I want you to ride on me..." Rey stared at him where they stood in the stable, flabbergasted about what he had just said. Her heart fluttered eagerly as butterflies entered her stomach and cheeks getting warmer. She was positive that a blush painted itself over her cheeks as she felt his eyes on her. "..be. Are you alright?"

Oh no, he had noticed and she felt very embarrassed by the whole situation. She was speechless, not knowing what to reply, that she very much liked the idea to ride on him. That thought was very appealing to her, but then her brain paused. Hadn't he said be? Me be? Mebe? What had he meant with that and her brain tried to put the pieces of information together. Ride on who? Me be.. Bebe..

As realization hit her a new wave of embarrassment flushed over her, about what she had thought she heard. She had been wrong and he had noticed her blush, there was no other way otherwise he wouldn't have asked her if she was alright.

"I thought you said 'I want you to ride on me', then I realized you said 'I want you to ride on Bebe." The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them, there was no turning back now. Her words were now out in the open and she felt like a child, doing something naughty and caught red handed. 

"Oh..." He said softly while his eyes were scrutinizing her up and down. She was fidgeting a little where she stood and he knew what she had thought he had said implied, most likely in a sexual way judging from how embarrassed she seemed. Did that mean something? There was only one way to find out and he wasn't known to be evasive as he frankly asked her. "Are you interested in me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger, or not really sorry, haha. ;)  
> Just kidding, anyway first I would like to thank my dear friend Joan, who have helped me when I got stuck.  
> It's been hard to translate it into English, as it's not my native tongue.
> 
> I have a rough idea where this is heading, things might change as the fic goes on.   
> I'm trying to keep them in character, but it's kind of hard at times.
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed it, kudos and comments are very much appreciated. <3


	8. Chapter 8

Like a deer caught in the headlights Rey stared horrified at Hux, not able to utter any response to his very straightforward question. She knew she liked him, but what if it was against the rules to be attracted to your boss? Technically he wasn't her boss per say, that would be his father who had hired her and his name was on the papers she had signed when she began working here. That still made Hux her boss' son.

She felt her face burn with embarrassment as he looked like he expected her to answer, which she was hesitant to do and not ready to admit it out loud to him. Trying very hard to think of a way to avoid answering, though she had a feeling that the longer she took on thinking, the more he would suspect it to be true.

Hazel eyes caught blonde hair behind Hux, as Phasma came around the corner. Relief flooded her senses, maybe Phasma could help her avoid the question. Icy blue eyes observed the scene before her, with Rey blushing madly and Hux looked as he usually did.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" she chirped softly, as Hux was turning his head to look who had appeared and once he saw that it was Phasma, he turned around fully to face her.

"Not really, I was just asking Rey if she's interested in me, but she doesn't seem so keen to answer. You don't happen to know anything about that?" he said it so casually like he was talking about the weather, and Rey's eyes widened in horror as she heard this.

"Maybe, I do." Phasma replied teasingly, feeling those hazel eyes on her and Hux raising one eloquent brow. Rey was shaking her head behind him and waving her arms in front of her, silently pleading her to not tell him. A teasing smirk graced Phasma's lips as she felt like being a bit devious. "The answer is yes, she does."

Rey couldn't believe what she was hearing, she was horrified beyond words and wished the ground would open up beneath her and swallow her whole. Now everything would change and it scared her in ways she hadn't expected.

"That explains a lot." His voice was unaffected by the reveal of the truth and he himself seemed unfazed by it, much to Rey's mortification. She didn't know what he meant and for some reason it felt like someone was sticking a knife into her heart while turning it around.

"What is the plan for today?" The sudden change of topic made Rey look at Phasma slightly confused, the blonde talked like the situation before had never happened and it seemed Hux joined in on that.

"We're going on a hack with Bebe and Star." He replied while Rey was unsure if she should say anything or keep quiet for now.

"Don't let me interrupt you." Phasma waved at them as she continued walking again and disappeared out of their sights before any of them could say anything.

Awkward tension, so sharp you could cut it with a knife filled the air as soon as the blonde woman disappeared and Rey wasn't sure what to do. The cat was out the bag after all. In the end she decided to play it safe and quickly headed towards Bebe's box to groom her.

As soon as she had fetched the brushes she needed and entered Bebe's box, it was like a huge relief. The small mare had a calming effect on her as she enjoyed the grooming Rey provided. It was relaxing to see the dust and grime being brushed off and cleaning the hooves of the dirt that had stuck there.

Once done she brushed the tail free from any tangles and combed the mane, she had managed to calm down considerably since the embarrassing situation before. She knew she had to face Hux sooner or later and she had decided to pretend like nothing had ever happened. It would probably be the best solution for now.

When she headed towards the tack room to put away the brushes, before grabbing Bebe's bridle and saddle. That was when she noticed that she had been lagging behind, as Hux was almost done with Starkiller, he was about to put on the bridle when Rey passed. She had forgotten how efficient that man was to get ready. Quickly she grabbed Bebe's things after putting the brushes in their places. 

It took her a while to get Bebe and herself ready to head out, putting on her hard hat and leading the mare outside. Once outside, she noticed that she had been later than expected and that she hadn't even heard when Hux had walked pass Bebe's box with Starkiller, maybe she had been too absorbed in thoughts, she thought when she tightened the girth.

Hux had already mounted Starkiller and both mare and rider stood still waiting for Rey and Bebe. With the former taking her time to make it so the girth was tight enough, that the saddle wouldn't slip once she mounted. Her thoughtful planning paid off as she had adjusted the stirrups length just before she mounted.

As soon as she had mounted and put her feet in the stirrups as well as collecting the reins, they we're already off. Bebe had to walk quite fast to keep up the pace with Starkiller's long legs. The weather was really nice, warm, soft wind blowing carefully over the landscape and the sun peeking through some fluffy clouds.

Birds chirped as the horses made their way towards the forest to follow a narrow path through bushes and trees, as well as cobwebs hanging across the path, so they had to duck under not to get it in their faces.

The only sounds that could be heard, were the wind softly brushing past the leaves on the trees and bushes, as well as the birds hunting insects along with the horse's hooves on the path and their occasional snorting of fulfilment. Other than those sounds it was still awkward silence between the two riders.

Rey busied herself with looking around the forest, she had rode before but never at her workplace, so it was a nice change. She realized since she had started working here it had been a lot of first experiences for her. With the main one being attracted to your boss' son, and talking about Hux she couldn't help watch his rigid back from the corner of her eyes, whenever she was looking at the forest.

Awkward silence be damned, as her eyes were drawn to him like magnets and she briefly wondered what he was thinking about. Seeing as he looked rather calm and relaxed, which mirrored onto Starkiller as well.  
Half an hour later they were back at the equestrian centre again, the hack had consisted of only walking and a lot of narrow paths, that winded upwards and downwards along a hillside and over a small creek as well as along big fields.

Rey dismounted Bebe and lead the small mare into her box to untack. The bridle came first and she hung it onto a hook just outside the box, and the saddle came next. She held it firmly in her hands and went out of the box, closing it and then going with it to hang in the tack room.

On her way back she took Bebe's brushes with her and placed them outside her box, then switched and took the bridle towards the sink to wash off the bit cleaning it before hanging it in the tack room as well. Then taking off her hard hat as well, hanging it on one of the special hard hat hooks to let air freshen up the insides from sweat, that might have been stuck there.

She finished with brushing off Bebe of anything she might have missed before and petted the small mare on the neck, before heading back towards the tack room to put away the brushes again. When Rey walked out of the tack room again she almost walks into Hux, who looks at her like he want to tell her something.

Before she can blame herself for not paying any attention to her surroundings and him getting around to say whatever he was intending to tell her, he instead reaches his hand forward towards her face and gracefully pulls one lock of her hair dangling over her eye, and puts it behind her ear. As his hand retreats back, she can feel the faint caress of his fingers against her cheek. Still not saying a word and then he turns around like he'd already done what he intended, by walking away.

Leaving a tomato faced Rey behind, whose cheeks coloured bright red as soon as he turned around. Not knowing what she should think about what had just transpired. Embarrassment coursed through her body again, how many times would it happen during one day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like weekends are the best time to write, when I have work on weekdays.   
> The chapters are getting more difficult to write, especially seeing as I want the quality to remain.
> 
> We're slowly getting there.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed it, kudos and comments are very much appreciated. <3


	9. Chapter 9

When a week had passed since that tense and awkward situation, when it all had been revealed. Phasma was rather tired of the tension that still hung in the air and had decided to break it, and maybe get Rey to forgive her from telling Hux about her feelings for him.

The blonde had suggested that they should have a little party, seeing as it was summer and the horses were out in their summer pastures both day and night. That meant there was little to do, they didn't need to pack hay or mucking the boxes. There was still other things they did, but nothing that demanded their immediate attention, so if someone got hungover it would still be fine.

Both Jess and Tallie was on a vacation together with Brendol also known as Mr. Hux when Phasma spoke of him. The party would be held in the servant house and Phasma had asked Rey want kind of pizza she liked. She had told Rey she was going to order pizzas to be delivered, they had both looked at the pizza menu online and decided which ones they wanted. The blonde had then called and placed their orders. 

"Pizzas will be here in an hour." Phasma said as soon as she ended the call. "In the meantime I think we need a drink. What would you like?"

"Hm, I don't know. What would you suggest?" Rey was leaning against the kitchen table watching as the blonde started to rummage around in the fridge, before she put a Coke on the counter and then opened a cabinet and rummaged until she pulled out a bottle of rum to set next to the Coke.

Two highball glasses were fetched and filled with ice, then the rum went in before the Coke and lastly she put a lime wedge on each class.

"There you go." She said as she handed Rey her glass. They sat down at the kitchen table chatting away as they drank. Time flies past them and the hour went quickly, Phasma had refilled both their glasses once and also poured them a shot of Sambuca. Rey had already been on toilet once, feeling slightly tipsy as well. All glasses were empty as the hour had passed and Phasma was watching Rey intently, as the door to the house opened and someone was heard stepping inside, taking off their shoes.

"I've brought your pizzas." A familiar male voice called as steps could be heard on the floor. Somewhere in the back of Rey's mind she recognized that voice, but in her current tipsy state it did not register, well no until a very familiar face appeared and her hazel eyes went wide with sudden shock.

Walking in through the doorway to the kitchen was Hux, the only noticeable change was that instead of wearing breeches, he wore light coloured tight fitting jeans a loose beige shirt with the two top buttons undone. His hair was loose, like he had taken a shower and just brushed it with his hand to let it dry without using any product in it. He was carrying three pizza cartons and placing them on the table along with the pizza salad.

Now Rey was starting to understand why Phasma had watched her so intently before, the blonde knew he was coming. Had she planned this all along or what was it about. She didn't have time to think before Phasma got up and grabbed forks and knives and put them on the table for everyone to grab a pair.

The blonde was seated across from where Rey was seated and Hux sat down next to Phasma. Which Rey felt relieved about, if he had decided to sit next to her she would probably be very embarrassed and wanting to flee upstairs to her room, leaving her pizza behind.

Rey's pizza was a safe card, tomato sauce, ham and cheese while Phasma's pizza had tomato sauce, ham, cheese, bacon, onion and lastly kebab sauce. It looked like Hux had ordered a pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, tenderloin, onion and garlic sauce on top. They all dug in on the pizzas hungrily.

While Hux and Phasma seemed engrossed in talking about random topic, Rey kept outside of it unless someone of them asked her a direct question or her opinions. She busied herself with finishing her pizza and refilling her glass with more booze. 

From what Rey had understood while listening to Hux and Phasma talking, they're apparently old friends. From how long she couldn't quite say and she wasn't that curious that she would ask them either. It was not her place to ask or rather it didn't really matter, she could feel the booze circulating through her body making her feel more relaxed..

Phasma poured another shot of Sambuca to everyone which they swept merrily. Rey felt her body hum and buzz from the alcohol and felt herself loosen up more, no longer hesitant to engage in their discussion.

They relocated into the living room's sofa and Phasma had the brilliant idea that they should play bottle blow. She had suggested it as she handed out beers to the others. Hux had only said 'sure' while Rey had asked how the game was played.

The tall blonde started to explain how it was played. A bottle was needed and a pack of cards, the cards would be loosely shuffled and placed on top of the bottle. The game itself was simple, they would take turns to carefully blow a card or two off the top of the pack. The objective is to avoid being the person who blows off the last card. 

Phasma told the rules as she set up the cards on top of the bottle loosely, and when they were in place she smiled deviously.

"Well, there's one more thing. The looser gets a dare from the winner and the dares should be fun and nothing too mean."

They took turns blowing the cards off the bottle and the first round Hux won and Phasma lost and he dared the blond to take a shot of Whiskey. The rounds kept going and Rey lost once with Hux as the winner and she also had to take a shot of Whiskey, which had burned down her throat and she had grimaced to the laughter of the other two. 

When the next round took place it was five cards left on the bottle and Rey's turn to blow. She leaned forward on the table and took a deep breath before carefully blowing at the cards. If one blew too hard all cards would fall, she blew one card off. Phasma was next and skillfully blew one card off, leaving 3 cards remaining. If Hux blew off one card it would be between Phasma and Rey who the loser was going to be.

To Rey's loss he managed to blow off two cards leaving one left and it was Rey's turn, which meant she lost and Phasma won. Playfulness danced across icy blue eyes as the blonde looked into hazel eyes.

"I dare you to sit on Hux's lap." Her eyes glinted mischievously as a small almost not there smirk graced her lips. Rey's eyes had widened slightly and even in her tipsy state she could feel heat summoning in her cheeks. "I dare you to, or I will tickle you to death." The last part was said as a playful threat, but it had the desired effect. Rey looked horrorstruck for a moment before a huge grin plastered itself on her lips.

"That's unfair, don't use my weaknesses against me." Rey chided as she playfully jabbed Phasma's arm.

"Not really unfair, but if it's a tickle you want I'll gladly give it to you." Laughter erupted from Rey's mouth as the blond started to tickle her. Green eyes watched amused as the two girls engaged in a one sided tickle fight.

"Okay, I yield, I yield." Rey couldn't take it any longer, she was almost out of breath of all the laughing.

"Do you really?" Phasma stopped with an elegantly raised eyebrow, like she didn't believe Rey.

"Yes, now let me go." Once those tickling fingers disappeared Rey could calm her breathing, before she grabbed her beer and took a swig of it and then rose from her seat. Walking gingerly towards where Hux was seated. His eyes were watching her but betrayed nothing of his emotion, as Rey rather clumsily due to her tipsy state seated herself on his lap. He had to put a hand at her back or she would have lost her balance and fallen backwards, ending up lying over his lap instead.

They ended the game and talked at the same time as they sipped on their drinks as well as an occasional shot of some flavoured vodka. Phasma had been on the toilet and fetched them more drinks from the kitchen, while Rey had joined Phasma on the toilet, laughing and joking away. Once back she flopped herself back onto Hux's lap, the man didn't seem to mind at all as his arm wrapped itself around Rey's waist.

Rey felt more relaxed as she leaned her head onto Hux's shoulder, with her nose barely against his neck. Smelling his aftershave faintly while she watched as Phasma was describing something funny. She could feel the rumble of his chest when he laughed and talked along with the warmth he radiated.

As time went on laughter and chatter continued to fill the room, along more booze being consumed and the warmth surrounding Rey made her drowsy. Her eyelids became heavy and it was hard to keep them open and keep focus of the ongoing conversation. With a content sigh her eyelids closed, the chatter tuned out and slowly she began to drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here, the next instalment of this fic.   
> Took me a bit longer than usual due to circumstances irl.
> 
> Now it's here and I want to thank you all who leave comments and kudos, you are the reason I keep writing.  
> Love to you all~ <3


	10. Chapter 10

Rey woke up feeling disoriented as she didn't know where she where. She looked around the room slowly before realization dawned upon her, she was in her own bed in her own room but had no memories of how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was that she was in Hux's lap. 

Sounds could be heard downstairs, and she had a feeling it was Phasma cleaning up after yesterday's party. She slowly got up and stretched and headed downstairs slowly. Her head had a dull ache to it, she suspected she had a slight hangover.

Once she reached the threshold to the kitchen, she could see Phasma cleaning up dishes and swabbing the kitchen table.

"Morning." She greeted croakily. Phasma's head whirled around and fixated her eyes on Rey.

"Ah, you're up. How does you feel?"

"Just a slight headache, but nothing worse." She grabbed a clean glass from the counter as she made her way into the kitchen, and filled it with orange juice. "Do you know how I got to bed yesterday? I don't remember." 

A smug smile graced the blonde's lips and her gaze told Rey it would be something she hadn't expected.

"Hux carried you to bed." The blonde simply stated.

Rey's eyes widened and she felt mortified all over again, had she fallen asleep in his lap and he didn't want to wake her up? Her thoughts raced through her head as her cheeks heated up.

"You're joking?" Disbelief was written all over Rey's face and Phasma had sensed it, she picked up her cellphone and unlocked the screen, tapping and swiping a few times before showing the screen to Rey. There on the screen was a photo of Rey sleeping in Hux lap, then she swiped and there was a recording of Hux's backside as he easily carried Rey upstairs. "No way!"

She couldn't believe what she saw on Phasma's phone. Her emotions were torn between terrified and delightful. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole in her shame, at the same time as she wanted to scream in joy like a fangirl.

In the end neither happened and she just stared onto the screen, trying to progress the information about what had happened. Then she saw it, Hux name above the photo - it was a MMS message. It had been sent from Hux's phone to Phasma's from what Rey could tell by the side of the screen the photo was on.

In the end Rey had finished her juice quickly and fled towards the stable, to get away from Phasma's obvious teasing torture. The stable was very quiet and she found herself relaxing, she would need a bit of time before she would be able to face the blonde tease again.

She grabbed a bucket and filled it with a mix of hot and cold water, to make it a bit more hot but not scorching hot. Soap was added into the bucket and she fetched a brush with sturdy bristles. Then she headed towards one of the many boxes in the stable.

The bedding had already been mucked out and beneath it there was a cement floor. Rey put the bucket down and submerged the whole brush into the water before she lifted and started to scrub the rusty brick walls, where grime and muck had stuck.

It wasn't easy and she had to scrub at the walls several times before the grime and muck would start to dissolve. While she was doing this, her phone was in her pocket playing some music. Rey had decided against headphones because the cable would get in her way. She did not own bluetooth headphones yet, but had planned to buy at some point.

When she had went over all of the walls in the box she was currently in, she fetched the high pressure-washer. Which was connected to the water tap and a power outlet. It hummed loudly as she turned it on and started to wash the walls.

The water that rinsed off the walls were dirtied with grime, but it was very satisfactory to see the water change from a brownish shade to clear water, along with how clean the walls became afterwards. Though the dirty and clear water mixed on the floor, and when she was done rinsing the walls in that box, the floor was a small lake.

She had to rake the water out from the box and into the slots on either side of the stamped dirt floor, and rand through the slots to the nearest drain. It had taken a long time to finish one box, but she supposed she could start with the next one and see how far she could get, before she had to take a break.

Time flew past and before she had noticed it, she was done with the second box as well. She looked at the clock on the wall and decided that one more wouldn't hurt. She was on a roll after all, and she felt like each box she washed, she became faster at it with the same clean result. Rey was so into her cleaning that she didn't hear the dull footsteps approaching.

"There you are, I've been looking for you." She jumped at the sudden sound of a voice behind her. The brush flew out of her hand and clattered to the floor. She was glad she hadn't been in the process of dipping the brush in the water, if she had been the risk of topple the bucket would have been high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. I'm not even sure I'll be able to finish this fic. Sadly a lot happened in my life, I had to put down my own horse and a lot of other things, turning it upside down, and I've lost the motivation to continue this fic.   
> Maybe I'll finish it one day, maybe I won't. I don't want to promise anything, hence why I decided to upload the last thing I got written of it, before all hell broke loose in my life.
> 
> Thank you for your support, maybe one day... may the force be with you. <3


	11. Chapter 11

Rey whirled around as soon as she had gotten over the initial shock coming face to face with Hux. She hadn't been prepared to meet him today, not after what Phasma had told her about how she got to bed. Her cheeks heated up and she looked anywhere but at him.

"Why?" Was the first thing that flew out her mouth before she could reorganize her thoughts and she felt like disappearing right then and there.

"Why what?" He stood there with one elegant brow rising quizzically.

"Why have you been looking for me? Has it anything to do about the video Phasma showed me this morning?"

"Video?" Hux looked confused for a split second before it seemed as he connected the dots."Oh, you mean the one Phasma recorded with my phone and sent to her own. No, that's not why I was looking for you." He paused and took a breath before I continued. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Wait.." The information slowly sunk in as each word and their meaning registered in her head. "You mean Phasma had your phone and recorded that video and sent to herself, but why would she do that?" Rey couldn't understand why the blonde had done that nor the intentions behind it.

"Yes and I can only guess the real intention behind it, you'd have to ask her yourself." He stepped forward putting his hand under her chin and tilting it upwards to look at her. "But that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Rey was struggling to look at him, she felt shy and slightly embarrassed to have him so close and quite literally touching her, his hand was still under her chin. Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

"It's something I haven't told many people about." He began withdrawing his hand slowly and there was an emotion in his eyes, one Rey couldn't quite place. It looked almost sad. "It's a story best told outdoors with no eavesdropper around."

As soon as his hand left her chin, Rey missed the small contact and she took the opportunity to pick up her phone and shut the music app leaving silence in its' wake. She was both curious and nervous about what he would tell her, while he beckoned her to follow him as he started to walk out from the stable.

They kept walking through fields until they were quite the distance from the stable with only horses around them in their different summer pastures, enjoying the fresh grass. The wind was warm as it slowly blew past them where they stood on top of a small hill.

"As I told you before, this story is not told to many people and I do require your discretion to not tell anyone." Rey nodded slowly understanding that she was about to hear something serious. Hux seemed to steel himself before he continued. "It all began long ago, during my childhood my father would frequently belittle me."

Rey didn't know what to say, though she started to understand the seriousness about what he was about to tell her, and she had a feeling she wouldn't entirely like it.

"We had a grey mare named Death Star, she was special in her own ways and a very beautiful horse. She gave birth to a small dark bay foal, who you know today as Starkiller." Hux straightened his back and rested his hands behind him, while Rey started to suspect she would get to hear the story of why Starkiller became the horse she is today. "I'm sure you've noticed how the horses in the stable seems afraid of my father and there's a reason for that."

It was hard to miss the disdain in his voice as he spoke about his father. Rey had only heard a little bit of Mr. Hux from Phasma, and she had a feeling what Hux was about to tell her wouldn't differ much from what the blonde had told her.

"He has a tendency to use violence if the horses doesn't do what he wants and it's not pretty. He used to abuse Death Star regularly because that mare had a will of her own, and one day he went too far. He hit the mare with a metal pipe in the head so she died instantly." Rey noticed Hux taking a shaky breath as if it was hard for him to retell the traumatic story. "Before the fateful strike Starkiller had tried to defend her mother from it, once Death Star died and hit the ground something snapped in Starkiller. She became aggressive and started to attack him furiously, he tried to abuse Starkiller the same way he had with Death Star and was about to hit hard."

Rey's eyes were wide with terror, the puzzle pieces started to fit together in a horrible way as she listened to Hux's story with tears building up in her eyes.

"The strike never hit her, instead it hit me as I had managed to get between them to stop him from hitting her. I ended up with a few cracked ribs and a real bad bruise afterwards. It was the first time I stood up to my father and told him to never lay a hand on Starkiller again. She was my horse gifted to me by him. Death Star's death and my injury was covered up as an accident afterwards, and since then my father haven't dared to get close to Starkiller because a horse never forgets."

"I don't know what to say." Rey said shocked, she had suspected Mr. Hux had abused horses but had never imagined it to that extent Hux had just told her about.

"You don't need to say anything, I just wanted to tell you the truth even if it's not pretty." He looked dejected as his eyes swept over the fields surrounding them.

She didn't know what came upon her as she basically flung herself at Hux embracing him from behind, missing how he momentarily stiffened by surprise. All her suppressed emotion burst like a dam and she couldn't contain her sadness of what he had been forced to endure, as the tears ran down her cheeks. His story had moved her emotionally.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all that.." She sobbed onto his back.

Hux slowly unwound his hands from his back and gently turned around in her embrace, letting her head rest on his chest as one of his hands circled her waist and the other cradled her head.

"Thank you, no one have said that to me before."  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back.  
>   
> This was meant to be in the previous chapter (hence why this one is so short), and today I stumbled across my own fic and read it from start to where I had left off.  
> I felt this need to continue, though I didn't really remember what I had planned. Luckily when I opened the save I had left myself some notes.  
> It might take some time until I'll be able to update again, but I must admit I reread all the comments you guys has left on this fic and I felt so moved.  
>   
> I'm truly blessed by your continued support, thank you all and may the force be with you - **always~ <3**


	12. Chapter 12

Rey had mulled over the things Hux had told her about Starkiller's background and even a little bit of himself. She wanted to know how much of it Phasma knew, but knew she couldn't ask the blonde directly, she had to be subtle when she asked.

Today would be a perfect day to find out, it was little to do in the stable since they had cleaned everything, even got rid of the dust and spiderwebs lurking in the crooks and nooks. They had even cleaned all the tack and used special leather oil, to make the leather smooth and flexible again.

There was not much else they could do, the horses were in their summer pastures and had a bit of vacation one could say. Phasma had decided that they also should have a little bit of a vacation today and go to the beach, since the weather was nice.

The beach they're heading towards were not far from the stable. They walked there, on a small path next to the pastures that lead up a small hill and into a copse of leafy trees, before it slowly began to dip towards the small lake, surrounded by some trees and open fields.

It was not a large beach, just a small strip of soft sand giving way under their feet as they made their way towards the berthage, it rocked gently when they walked upon it and spread out their towels before setting down the small picnic bag containing some food and lemonade.

Phasma was the first to get out of her clothes to reveal the bikini she had underneath the few layers of clothing. She was a true work of art of that height with those luscious curves yet a bit masculine. Rey couldn't help compare herself with the blonde as she also peeled off her layers of clothing.

Before she could dwell more upon it Phasma playfully shouted. "Last one in have to wash the dishes." Both of them took off sprinting not wanting to be the last to get into the refreshing water and jumped straight from the berthage into the water.

The blonde woman had a slight advantage over Rey due to her long strong legs, but Rey had the determination to give her it all. In the end they couldn't quite tell who had hit the water surface first and decided to do the dishes together instead. Laughter ensued as they playfully splashed water on each other, swimming around having a great deal of fun before they swam back to the berthage and got up from the water. Sitting on the edge with their feet in the water, talking to each other while the sun gently caressing their skin.

Phasma reaches for the picnic bag and pulls out the lemonade and food, setting it up for them to share. Rey busies herself to get the cups and fill them with the lemonade and then proceeds to take a sip of it. It was important to keep hydrated while being in the sun, especially since the water also reflected the sun's rays onto them.

It was when Rey was munching on some watermelon she brought it up. "How long have you been working here?"

"A long time, I was 18 when Mr. Hux approached me with a job offer, too good to turn down and I've been here since." Phasma began sipping on her own lemonade watching the shimmering body of water in front of her.

"Did you encounter the grey mare named Death Star during your time here and if so what was the mare like?" Rey found it best to poke around the subject of her real question. Hux had told her not to tell anyone and she didn't know if Phasma knew of the story or not, so asking her directly could be a disaster. If Phasma didn't know she could always say something that she read the mare's name on Starkiller's nameplate as her mother and hence was curious about the mare.

"Did Hux tell you?"

"Yeah?"

"I saw it happen." Phasma's reply caught Rey off guard and her face showed shocked surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes, it was not a pretty sight, quite gruesome to be honest. If looks could kill Mr. Hux would have died that day. That look in Hux's eyes when he defiantly stood up to his father with blood running down from his temple, it was truly murderously chilling and to be honest I was at first very shocked and angry, but as Hux got home from the hospital and recovered I must say I was darn proud of him. It's not everyone who dares to stand up towards your antagonist, especially if you share the same bloodline." Phasma puffed out her chest proudly as she told Rey the last bit.

"Hux said it was covered up as an accident, why?" That was what Rey couldn't understand, if Phasma had been a witness when it happened both she and Hux could have left testimonies of what really had happened.

"Well, let's just say Mr. Hux knows the exact leverage to keep us quiet. He might seem like a nice man, but he's rotten inside. If I were you I would stay as far away from him as I could and not tell him more than absolutely necessary. If he finds a weakness in your armor he will exploit it and use it to his advantage." Phasma grimly stated.

Rey didn't know what to say, was Mr. Hux really that bad? She trusted what Phasma told her, but decided that she should give her own verdict upon the man if he ever showed his true colours around her. Everyone deserved a second chance and maybe the man had changed. Maybe she was just naive thinking that, but right now she didn't want to think about it. Seeing as the sun hung high in the sky and shone its' bright rays on them, it was truly a beautiful summer day not to be ruined by gloomy thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy macro...  
>   
> This chapter took me such a long time to complete, I just hope that the next chapter will be easier to write.  
> It might be short, but I do promise more is coming, though I do not daresay when, so stay tuned as always.  
>   
> I also can't thank you guys who leave comments and kudos enough, you are the very reason I keep writing. I feel blesssed by your support.  
> Until next time, may the force be with you~  
> 


End file.
